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The emergence of the individual

Podcast: lecture by Angus Kennedy recorded at The Academy 2016

The Reformation ushered in a shift in authority from clergy to scripture, from obedience to the Word towards interpretation and opinion. Authority became grounded in a reading, in individual perspective, and open to debate. Being true to one’s conscience was more important than obedience to an external ruler: the self, the autonomy of the inner person, grew in importance and led to a conceptual distinction between subject and object, between the internal and the external world - to the emergence of the individual.

The lecture was part of The Academy 2016, the IoI’s annual weekend residential school. For details of this year’s event, on 15 & 16 July, visit The Academy 2017 webpage.